How to Pet-Proof Your House

Excitement levels have skyrocketed, the day you’ve been longing for has finally arrived. You’re getting a pet! Whether it’s a dog or cat, there are a few things you must do before bringing home your new companion. One of them is pet-proofing your home.

For the sake of their safety and for the intention of helping you maintain the current state of your home, we’ve put together a simple and effective guide on how to pet-proof your house.

Keeping your companion safe

Living area & Bedrooms

When your pet is young, they may want to play (or chew) on anything and everything. Your best bet is to rearrange your entertainment cabinet so that there are absolutely no dangling wires from DVD players, televisions, stereos, or gaming consoles.

You need to look in all nooks and crannies for any items that may prove dangerous for your pet. Things like string or plastic.

For puppies, make sure to keep your laundry and shoes away. If a button is swallowed, it can result in injury. When it comes to cosmetics, do the same as we’ve advised previously – lock them away.

For the kitchen & bathroom

Pets can be very curious, and we recommend proofing each room of the house. For your kitchen and bathroom, move all medication, household cleaners, and chemicals, such as floor cleaner and washing liquids into high-level cabinets and have child safety latches installed.

We also advise that you keep your dustbin closed at all times. Additionally, one should never leave food out, not even on the countertops, especially if you’ve brought home a cat.

Cats love tiny spaces so check you tumble dryer, dishwasher and washing machine before using them. This means keeping the bathroom lid closed too.

The garage

When it comes to the garage, there are all sorts of harmful chemicals and accessories that you need to keep away from your new pet.

To ensure their safety, our advice is to either keep the garage locked at all times or to move all chemicals into cabinets that have safely locked doors.

Cats tend to hide in car engines for warmth which can end badly if you aren’t constantly mindful of this.

Tips for keeping a clean home

Maintaining cleanliness when you have a brand-new kitten or pup can prove quite a challenge. Even with older pets, the mess they produce never decreases, but it can be kept at bay with a few simple hacks.

Invest in some throws

Worried about the upkeep of your furniture? Why not invest in some throws? They’re affordable and decorative and, most importantly, easy to clean. You just throw them in the washing machine once a week.

Get throws that not only go with the rest of your décor but also with the colouring of your pet’s coat. This way, when they shed (which they seem to do 24/7) it won’t be as visible. We recommend 100 percent cotton or an acrylic-cotton blend as both are durable and are machine washable.

Use perfume to keep your pets off the bed 

After purchasing a comfortable pet bed, keeping your pets of yours can be quite tricky. Our advice is to spray some strong perfume all over your duvets and sheet. A strong scent, such as a perfume is unpleasant for pets as it causes them to sneeze.

This has worked for many. There’s no reason as to why they can’t sleep at the foot of the bed in their very own designated area. They’ll still be close by, except you’ll have a clean bed and sleep peacefully at night.

DIY cleaning liquid

When it comes to some of the more unpleasant mess your pets may make, we have the perfect, pet-friendly solution.

Buy a squirt bottle and fill it with half white vinegar, half water and a couple drops of dish soap.  Trust us, it works like an absolute charm! It’s effective on any kind of surface and is very cheap to make.

Use a Torus bowl

Pets need water, but when it comes to dogs, they tend to spill the water from their bowls often. This results in water everywhere. Water everywhere coupled with dirty paws? A disaster. Especially if you have carpets. The solution? A Torus bowl.

The large capacity of TORUS™ result in less filling and its low profile means fewer spills and mess. Available in two sizes, a 2L which is ideal for multi-pet homes and larger pets and a 1L which is perfect for smaller pets.